University of Minnesota, USA

Across the campus there are over a dozen dishwashing machines

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. It is the oldest and largest campus within the University of Minnesota system and has the sixth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 51,853 students in the 2012–2013 year.

Across the campus there are over a dozen dishwashing machines. In 2013, the University installed their first M-iQ flight type dishwashing machine, predicted to save almost $4,000 a year compared to the leading competitor of similar size. Savings are approximate and based on average usage/capacity, during a 266 day school year.

When it comes time to replace machines, efficiency is our main goal

Nelson Hard – Contract Manager: “Energy savings is a campus-wide focus for the University. When it comes time to replace machines, efficiency is our main goal. MEIKO has really impressed me. We put a bid out to MEIKO and one other manufacturer and after comparing the energy savings – our engineers determined the MEIKO machine would payback its price differential in about a year; not counting the continued savings of detergent, water and sewage which would make the savings add up even faster.

“We installed the M-iQ flight type conveyor in our 17th Avenue residence hall. I like the machine’s adjustable belt speeds and especially the manual cleaning parts that are clearly marked in blue. Since the curtains can only be hung in the correct place, the staff can’t mistakenly put them back in the wrong spot, which happens often on our non-MEIKO machines.

“I like that M-iQ saves water and energy, which is great from a budgetary standpoint. But, I love the environmental savings. Any machine that needs water to fully function needs to be using it conservatively.”

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M-iQ – flight type dishwashing machine

The M-iQ flight type dishwashing machine manages to incorporate seemingly contradictory requirements in a single, coherent design, successfully combining superb levels of hygiene and safety with the careful stewardship of water and energy.